


Day Three Hundred Eighteen || Doubt

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [318]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-16 02:17:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21500212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: They've all made mistakes, all done things they regret...all have doubts about themselves, and what's the best path forward. But maybe they both just need to consider avenues they never thought of before.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [318]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1235528
Kudos: 15





	Day Three Hundred Eighteen || Doubt

“Hey, Hinata...can I...talk to you?”

Startling a bit, not having been paying attention as she picks up some groceries on her day off, Hinata turns to see none other than Sakura standing behind her. And if the kunoichi’s tone wasn’t enough, her posture - unsure, hesitant, and clearly worried - tells even more. The Hyūga’s brows wilt in a mix of concern and sympathy. “Of course, Sakura-chan. Um…” She looks to her bag of groceries, which is technically only half full when compared to her list. “Could you...give me just a minute?”

“Oh, I-I don’t mean right this second!” Sakura backpedals, waving her hands. “I...I just happened to see you, and...I wanted to talk to you. But no, don’t let me interrupt! Uh...maybe we could...meet somewhere later?”

“Sure. There’s a really nice cafe two blocks east of here...do you know it?”

“I think so.”

“Give me maybe...half an hour to finish up here, and I’ll meet you there, okay?”

“Yeah...yeah, okay. Thanks, Hinata.” Managing a flicker of a smile, Sakura then makes a beeline in the other direction.

For a moment, Hinata just stands, blinking. Well that was...odd. What could Sakura want from her…? Why did she look so nervous? Mulling it over, she then remembers she’s technically on a schedule now. Finishing up her list, she makes a quick trip home before returning to the belly of the village to meet her old classmate.

Hinata has never been particularly close to the rosette. Part of Hinata had always shied from her loud nature, and...well, maybe part of her was put off due to seeing how much Naruto fawned over her. She wouldn’t call it jealousy, but...maybe a very early knowing - one she couldn’t bring herself to admit to - that in the end, Naruto wouldn’t choose her.

Of course, nowadays that’s hardly a concern. Hinata’s changed a great deal since the war several weeks ago. And so has everyone else...some for more obvious reasons than others. While she played her part and supported Naruto as best she could...there was still no quite catching up to him.

And she’s made peace with that.

Part of her, she knows, will always be fond of him. He was the first person she felt that sort of affection towards. But so too does she know now that she isn’t what he needs. She’ll always support him. Always endeavor to be his friend. But as for anything else - anything more - well...he’s clearly made his choice.

Mind full of such thoughts as she pushes open the door, hearing the staff greet her jovially, Hinata quickly finds Sakura seated in a corner by a window. Her gaze is caught through the panes, brows slightly wilted.

“...Sakura-chan?”

The other girl startles, obviously burst from her thoughts “Oh -! Hinata! Sorry, I was…” She gestures to the view. “...zoned out, I guess.”

“That’s all right.” Daintily taking her seat, Hinata waits a moment to see if Sakura will offer any information first. When she doesn’t, she instead asks, “Are you...all right?”

“Huh?”

“You seemed rather...out of sorts. And, well...you still do, honestly. Is something...wrong?”

Jade eyes seem to flicker back and forth between Hinata’s own pale orbs. Even now, her expression is so...nervous. “I’ve, well...I’ve been doing a lot of...of thinking lately. And, uh...I’m not sure where to go from here. So I thought I’d ask someone, and...you were the first person to come to mind. I just hope I’m not...stepping over my boundaries.”

“Well...I’m not sure if I’ll be able to help, but I’ll certainly try,” Hinata assures her gently. “My f-first concern is if you’re okay.”

“...literally? Yeah. There’s just...something that’s been weighing on me. I guess a...choice I have to make? I’m just not sure what the right one is...y’know?”

Hinata gives a small tilt of her head. “You have...doubts about your decision?”

“I...yeah? Well...it might be more of a doubt about...myself…” Sakura’s expression falls. “...for such a long time, I was a blind, naive girl. I chased someone shallowly who had no interest in me, all while turning a blind eye to someone who genuinely cared for me. Maybe Naruto only claimed he liked me at first because of his rivalry with Sasuke-kun, but...our common goals, especially after Sasuke-kun left...they brought us a lot closer. But I’ve realized it wasn’t just Sasuke I hurt with my actions and wayward feelings...but Naruto, as well.”

A kind of knowing twists Hinata’s gut into a knot.

“S-so, I...I’ve been easing myself back into talking with both of them. It’s...well, obviously, it’s going a lot easier with Naruto than Sasuke-kun, as you’d probably guess,” Sakura mumbles. “...but I really do want to make up for how I failed them both. And I know it’s not going to happen overnight. I...I need to change. I _have_ changed, but...not enough. And…” She hesitates.

“...you want to know if you should open your heart to Naruto-kun after so long of dreaming of Sasuke-kun.”

Sakura’s face goes slack with surprise. “You…?”

Hinata gives a small, somber smile. “...in some ways, you and I both know what it is to chase someone who, in the end...didn’t want to be chased. That’s why you came to me...isn’t it?”

There’s a long pause, and then the Haruno wilts, looking almost ashamed. “...yeah...I-I know it’s a shitty thing for me to do - you loved Naruto for so long, and -”

“And people change,” Hinata interjects gently, but firmly. “...we both know he doesn’t see me the way I saw him. And even then...sometimes I doubt just _w-what_ I saw in him. Inspiration, sure...but does that lead to love? I don’t know…”

Sakura considers her. “...I’m sorry, I...I shouldn’t have -”

“No. It’s fine. Part of me will always be with Naruto-kun. But I can’t _make_ him love me. And I wouldn’t want to, e-even if I could. And it says a lot about you that you’ve learned the same lesson with Sasuke-kun. Even more so that you’re considering not just _your_ feelings, but theirs as well. You _have_ changed, Sakura-chan.

“As for...making a decision, I don’t know if you need to make it quite yet.”

“...but -?”

“If you _do_ still have doubts about yourself, and your choice...then it’s not the right time to make it. Let yourself grow a little more. Them, too. If Naruto-kun has waited this long, then...I’m sure nothing is going to change his mind. But...maybe you could talk to him. Be h-honest with how you’re feeling. I’m sure he would appreciate you being open with him, and...maybe it will lead to you both finding middle ground, i-in the meantime.”

Sakura blinks. Blinks again. “...you know, you’re really good at this, Hinata.”

The comment makes her go pink. “I...I guess I’ve just thought about this sort of thing a-a lot. That’s all.”

“Well, still...you’re very easy to talk to, and...you’re a lot wiser than I gave you credit for. Heck, maybe _you_ should give talking to Sasuke a try,” Sakura sighs. “I mean...you two have talked before a bit, right?”

“Just since after the war...before then, almost never.”

“...maybe that will help, in all honesty. A lot of us, well...we left rather _bad impressions_ on him before he left. And…” Sakura flinches. “...some of us only made things worse with time. But if you two are still relative strangers...maybe he’d find it easier to open up to you. Start clean, y’know?”

“Well, I...I’ve been trying to help bridge that gap, admittedly. I feel like, in some small ways...I understand what he went through. Obviously not completely, but...our pasts have a few small parallels.”

“...maybe that could help you start. But...if it’s not something you want to do, don’t force yourself, of course. Though I know I really messed up with them both...I still want Sasuke-kun to be happy. And maybe that could start with him making a friend.”

“Well...I-I’ll try. But I guess in the end, it would be up to him.”

The pair fade into a thoughtful silence, each lost in their own webs of ideas and decisions.

“...thank you, Hinata. I...I feel a lot better.”

Looking up from her absent stare at the table, Hinata gives a small, warm smile. “I’m glad. And...p-please, never fear coming to talk to me. I know, um...I know this was an awkward topic, but I’m always happy to help, or at least try.”

“I appreciate it. Really, I do.” Making to stand, Sakura gives a tired smile. “...anyway, I better get going...I’ve whittled away a lot of my day off on all this nonsense, so I’d best get some things done before tomorrow. See you around, Hinata.”

“G-good luck, Sakura-chan.” Waving, Hinata decides to keep her seat, sighing. She’s content, in a way...maybe Naruto and Sakura can be happy together. And them being happy with make _her_ happy.

...but poor Sasuke...though Hinata knows he’s still more than angry with his teammates (and she still only has bits and pieces of the story), he still has to be so lonely…

...maybe she _will_ reach out a little more. Maybe their clean slate means she’ll have a bit more luck. And regardless of anything else, she wants him to be happy, too.

And if she can be even a little part of that, well...she’ll be all the more glad to have helped.

**Author's Note:**

> Well this is...super random? I uh...I had a really rough day, and just feel kinda...off. So I'm not sure if this is any good. Doesn't help the prompt had me kinda eh for inspiration.
> 
> I realize the ship isn't really IN this one, but it's more of an introduction into how things go in the canon divergent verse I have. Which...I'm heavily revamping for plot holes, so that doesn't help with how off the whole thing feels while I clean up 7+ years of dust and old, inexperienced plotting :'D
> 
> But uh...yeah. ALAS sees a lot of character growth that's...honestly missing in canon post-699. Especially concerning team seven and Hinata. A bit of which we can see here. Naruto and Sakura both have a LONG way to go in that story from this point, but...it's a start! And Hinata's also getting her first inclinations to start really reaching out to Sasuke... :3c
> 
> Anyway, I am...very very tired, and drained, and just...blegh, so I'ma go. Thanks for reading~


End file.
